


Worth the Trouble

by scarletsaber (sushibunny)



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon Compliant, College, Haru Is Tired, M/M, Makoto Is Too Precious, More Pining Haru Because You Can Never Have Too Much Of That, Probably Harmful Levels Of Fluff- Proceed With Caution, happy birthday Haru, pure unadulterated sap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 05:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7347673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/scarletsaber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru was utterly exhausted, school and training running him ragged. He just wanted to pass out, but then Makoto showed up, and Haru could never say no to him (didn't want to); especially not after he figured out why Makoto was there.</p><p>He really should have hung up that calendar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth the Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> I remembered it was Haru's birthday and thought it would be fun to write something cute for it. Enter this fluff monster. Be sure to check your blood sugar levels after reading.

The door had barely shut behind him before Haru collapsed on his futon, exhaustion finally overwhelming him. It had been the longest day of his college career thus far; perhaps even of his life. He had started the day early with morning swim practice, which had involved a lot more jogging and a lot less swimming than Haru would prefer. Then he had a full day of classes, including two exams, leaving him no time for lunch due to last minute cramming. After that he had more swim practice, this time thankfully mostly inside the pool; less thankfully he had to keep swimming the entire time, his coach yelling directions and times constantly. Then the pool had been closed down for monthly maintenance, so he couldn’t even stay and feel the water if he had wanted to. And of course the trains had been running behind, so it took him an extra hour to get home, hitting the rush hour traffic in Tokyo.

All in all, Haru was exhausted, and it was only 7pm.

Exhausted and starving, his rumbling stomach suddenly reminded him, though Haru was too tired to do more than groan at the revelation. His tiny Tokyo apartment was essentially one room with a (far too small) bathroom attached, and while his little kitchen wasn’t more than a few feet away, it might as well have been a mile as far as Haru’s tired body was concerned.

He briefly contemplated rolling over to the fridge when his thoughts were interrupted by a suspiciously familiar knock at his door. Haru was gathering the energy to answer, taking a deep breath when the knob was jingled and then turned, his door opening and letting in the sounds of Tokyo at night, along with a deep half exasperated, half resigned sigh.

“Haru~, what do I keep telling you about locking your door?” Makoto groused immediately upon entering, giving Haru a look of fond incredulity.

Haru watched impassively as Makoto closed- and locked- the door behind himself, setting his shoes neatly next to the door- and arranging Haru’s haphazardly tossed shoes nicely beside them- before moving into the kitchen area, canvas bag in hand, full of what, Haru knew not.

“I tried calling you, you know,” Makoto said as he continued moving about Haru’s kitchen as if he was in his own home, which Haru supposed wasn’t far off. Makoto spent nearly as much time in Haru’s apartment as he did in his own, and as much as Haru spent in Makoto’s. Sometimes Haru wondered why they hadn’t moved into one together when they came to Tokyo. Surely it would be more economical to split the rent between the two of them. Plus it would surely save on train fares and time, considering how often each visited the other.

There were plenty of purely practical reasons as to why the two should move in together. And maybe a few less practical ones, like how Haru found himself missing Makoto’s constant presence throughout the day, and coming home to an empty apartment was somehow different to coming home to an empty house when he had known his friend was only a house away. And how the thought of being able to call out ‘I’m home’ and hear Makoto’s smiling voice ring out a ‘Welcome home!’ every night made his heart beat faster. Or how the idea that maybe he could talk Makoto into getting an apartment with only one bedroom and how they could share it- to save money, of course, not so he could watch his best friend sleep or anything- made shivers run up and down his spine.

But mostly the practical reasons, of course. Like there was the fact that Makoto still couldn’t cook to save his life and how he had almost set his apartment on fire twice already- which made Haru wonder once again what exactly Makoto was doing in his kitchen.

“But I guess you left your phone home again huh?” Makoto continued to talk as he ransacked Haru’s cupboards, bringing Haru out of his apartment-sharing revery. “I figured,” Makoto said, as if Haru had answered in the affirmative, though honestly Haru really didn’t need to. He was still terribly inconsistent with his phone habits, but he was getting better- at least when he knew he’d have free time to maybe talk to Makoto, anyway.

Haru’s gaze flit over to where his phone sat on the floor, still connected to the charger but apparently off. He’d have to turn it on and check his messages later. But not now, not while Makoto was there.

“You had a long day today, right? Practice in the morning and afternoon, and classes all day? How did your tests go? Lit and English, right? I hope the flash cards Rin suggested we make helped.”

Haru hummed an affirmative, barely having the strength or desire to raise his head from it’s place on his pillow, content to watch Makoto bustle about mysteriously from a horizontal position.

“Good, I told you you’d do fine if you just studied,” Makoto said, turning to give him a grin before going back to whatever it was he was doing by the sink. “I got texts from Nagisa, Rei, Gou-chan, Rin- well, everyone really, today looking for you. You should check your phone later.”

Haru grunted in annoyance, shifting his eyes to glare at his phone, as if it was responsible for the annoyance that would be returning all those messages.

“Now, Haru. They just want to show you they care. It’d be rude not to answer, hmm?”

Haru sighed. Makoto was right. Probably. As annoying as they could be, they were still his friends. He resigned himself to his fate and rolled over onto his back, staring tiredly at the ceiling.

“Good! Now, let me just… Haru you really need to get rid of these boxes, it’s been months since you moved in. I can hardly even find your table.”

“Mmm.” It was almost a word, maybe Haru wasn’t as exhausted as he thought. Or maybe it was just that being around Makoto gave him some extra energy.

He heard Makoto chuckle from somewhere to his right. “Sorry, Haru, I know you’re tired. Just bear with it for a little, okay?”

Haru closed his eyes, his fatigue beginning to overpower both his curiosity at what Makoto was up to and his hunger; at least until he caught a whiff of something that smelled far too good to be associated with Makoto being in his kitchen.

His eyes snapped open at the same time as he heard bowls being set on the low table Makoto had moved next to him. Haru turned his head, stomach gurgling in anticipation as he inhaled the delicious scents he couldn’t yet see a source for.

“Alright, ready! Come and sit up now, Haru-chan. You can’t eat laying down, not even today.”

Haru slowly pushed himself upright, still unable to hold back a small groan- which Makoto chuckled at, earning him a glare- and was immensely surprised to find a sizeable spread on the small table. Mackerel miso was in a bowl in front of him, off to the side were dishes of fried mackerel, mackerel tatsuta-yaki, grilled mackerel with ume-shisho sauce, sweet and sour mackerel, and mackerel fish ball soup. Haru’s eyes shone with wonder as he took it all in, weariness forgotten.

“You’re looking at it like you do the pool, so I know you must approve,” Makoto said with a laugh, giving Haru a fond smile when he finally managed to pull his eyes away from the amazing food in front of him. “I went around and got all your favorite dishes that we’ve found in Tokyo so far,” he continued, “The ramen shop near the train was closed, so I couldn’t get the mackerel ramen though, I hope you don’t mind.”

It took a moment for Haru to pull himself out of a stunned silence. “Makoto… You… Why?”

Makoto gave him a curious look before he smiled softly, the same smile Haru liked to think belonged only to himself. “Because you’re worth it, Haru-chan.”

Haru could feel his face heating up, but he still didn’t fully understand. “But… Why today?”

The look Makoto gave him then could only be described as incredulous. “‘Why’? Because it’s- wait. Haru. Don’t tell me… Haru, what day is it?”

“... Thursday?” Haru answered, beginning to doubt himself as Makoto continued to look at him like he couldn’t believe Haru.

“Well, yes, but I mean the date, Haru. What’s the date?”

“... I don’t know,” Haru admitted, eyes darting around the room before he remembered he hadn’t bothered to hang up his calendar yet.

“Oh, Haru-chan,” Makoto laughed, looking at Haru with such fondness in his eyes that Haru felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. “It’s the 30th. Of June. It’s your _birthday_.”

Haru’s eyes widened in surprise. He had… forgotten his own birthday. He hadn’t realized he had been so busy that he could actually… Now everything made so much more sense; Makoto bringing him dinner, the food being all things Haru loved, Makoto going the extra mile to get him all his favorites from around the city, all the messages waiting for him. It made Haru feel… Special.

“I can’t believe you actually forgot. You must have been really busy, huh, Haru?”

Haru looked back up to meet warm green eyes when Makoto reached across the table and squeezed his hand reassuringly- he might as well have been squeezing Haru’s heart directly what with the way it clenched in his chest. “Yeah, I guess. Thanks… For remembering.”

Makoto looked at him in surprise. “You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?” Makoto asked, warm smile on his face. “I’ll always remember your birthday, Haru-chan.”

“No,” he muttered, turning his head away to hide the blush creeping along his cheeks. “And enough with the ‘-chan,’” he added for good measure.

Makoto just smiled wider, tilting his head and closing his eyes and Haru cursed himself for thinking it was safe to look back at his friend. “Of course, Haru. Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks.”

Haru was almost disappointed when Makoto pulled back his hand so they could eat, but then the bounty of mackerel was all Haru could think about for the next hour.

“I hope you don’t mind there’s no mackerel for dessert,” Makoto said once they finished eating, rubbing the back of his neck. “I asked in a few bakeries but no one seems to share your enthusiasm for mackerel cakes. Sorry, Haru.”

“It’s fine,” Haru said with a sigh, resigned to the fact that most people had yet to realize the full glory of mackerel.

“I did get us some taiyaki though instead. They kinda look like mackerel. I thought so anyway,” Makoto said as he went to grab them from the fridge, setting a few on a plate and presenting it to Haru. “Oh! One second!”

Haru watched as Makoto fiddled around in his backpack, searching for something. He couldn’t help but smile at the ‘Aha!’ Makoto cried out when he found whatever he was seeking. His blush made a return, however, when he saw the candle in Makoto’s hand, which was quickly placed in one of the fish-shaped pastries. Another second and Makoto had lit it, grinning widely at Haru from across the table as he told Haru to make a wish.

Haru immediately decided his wish would be to spend all his birthdays with Makoto as he looked up into kind and loving green eyes.

“Happy Birthday Haru-chan.”

“Thanks, Makoto.”

**Author's Note:**

> I probably spent almost half as much time looking for mackerel dishes as I did writing this; you're welcome, Haru.


End file.
